Robyn Tilley is a thoughtful young lady with a bright future. She’s already been named Miss Lake City, will soon be competing in the Miss Florida scholarship pageant and is pursuing a degree in psychology. She is also a victim of sexual assault. Tilley has chosen “Ending sexual abuse” as her platform for Miss Florida to raise awareness and help eliminate the stigma and blame that continues to surround victims.

The gorgeous Robyn is making a difference in breaking the beauty queen stereotype. She's not the typical blonde, spray tanned girl who always answers questions talking about the importance of world peace - "I look the judges in the eye, who know my current platform is Ending Sexual Abuse, and I tell them that yes, I am a victim, and yes, I have endured not so ideal situations, but here I am now, a title-winning, beautiful, talented, pageant queen, which is think is one of the best messages to spread. I stay true to my personality and I’m unafraid of who challenges me. If a beauty queen is putting on a fake persona just to win, then what about her is there to look up to?"

If she wins the crown Robyn will have the opportunity to represent the state of Florida in the Miss America Competition later this year. Florida has twice won the Miss America crown. Sara Zeng of Palm Coast is the reigning Miss Florida. She competed for the title of Miss America 2018 on September 10, 2017 in Atlantic City, New Jersey where she won a Preliminary award in Lifestyle & Fitness.

Lets know a little more about the strong Robyn through this interview!

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You won the title of Miss Lake City 2018, what does it entail ?

Being crowned Miss Lake City means that I will be competing in the Miss Florida pageant that’s taking place in June, as well as making a bunch of different appearances with my sash in crown all over Gainesville and Lake City.

What inspired you to walk on the course of beauty pageants?

When I was a young girl, I was involved in the Miss Florida Sunshine Princess Program as well as the Miss New York children’s program, and it was really inspiring watching all of the beauty queens work hard and accomplish their dreams. I didn’t get back into the pageant world until I was 18, when one of the queens who I worked with reached out to me to join her pageant that she was directing, and I’m really glad I branched out and participated, because I ended up winning.

What do you expect to gain by competing in pageantry?

I think that there is a lot to gain from competing, but the most important would be overall experience. Every pageant teaches me something new, whether it’s how to improve my walking or posing, or how to adjust my conversation styles when discussing topics with new people. I really hope to gain and direct attention to the issues going on in the current world, because they are often overlooked.

Tell me something about yourself and your work. What do you actually do, and have done in the past?

I’ve always been a very education driven person, my studies have always been my number one priority. Currently I’m studying at Rollins College, pursuing a degree in psychology. Previously, I graduated with my Associate of Arts Degree at 17 years old, and I’ve had the honor to participate in certain academic opportunities, such as presenting at the PCA/ACA Conference that took place in San Diego in April 2017.

Many misses have said that their dream since a child was to participate in a pageant as prestigious as Miss World (or Miss Universe). It this your case ? And if so, why ?

I would say so, to a certain extent. While competing in something as big as Miss World would be amazing and I can keep it as a personal goal to always strive for, I do tend to be a bit of a realist and recognize the difficulty in getting that far. Even so, it is something I keep in mind and having this goal allows me to believe in myself and always try my best, but to not be disappointed if I don’t get to that point.

Social media seem to play a major role in pageantry nowadays. Do you think this is advantageous to you? Why or why not?

I absolutely think that social media is a wonderful advantage, with its pros and cons. It allows growth and support for a particular queen, helping to quickly build her audience and spread her message. However, if one isn’t careful, social media can cause the downfall of someone’s career very quickly with a single misunderstood picture. Like most things in this world, it can do a lot of good for people, but there can be exceptions. Overall, if you use it carefully and properly, you can make the most out of it.

Did you face any moment of disappointment with yourself during the pageant journey, and how did you overcome it?

Absolutely, multiple times. When I competed in Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International as Miss USA in Shanghai, China, I had one goal, and that was to perform my talent at the final show. Not to win, not to place, just perform. When my name wasn’t called as a final performer, I was completely devastated. I felt crushed, defeated, and I felt like a failure to tell all my loved ones back home that I wasn’t selected. To top it all off, I didn’t even make top 30 on the final day of the pageant. It was hard to accept at first, but I had to keep in mind that everything happens for a reason. Thankfully, I had an amazing support group that kept me in good spirits, shoutout to Miss Australia, New Zealand, Estonia, and South Africa. They always kept me smiling, and at the end of the day, I was living in the opportunity of a lifetime to even be able to be in China for an international beauty pageant at all, and I was able to keep that pride in myself.

What would you advise any young girl out there who has a dream of being a queen one day?

My biggest piece of advice is that regardless of your situation or how inexperienced or unqualified you feel that you are, you are 100% capable of winning, just as much as any other girl on that stage. It doesn’t matter how expensive your dress is, or how many titles the other girls have won over you. If you walk on that stage and have confidence within yourself, that will show and it will take you farther than any gown will.

Who is your ideal beauty queen and why?

My ideal beauty queen is…. well, myself. And I think this should be true for every other girl out there as well. Sure, other queens have great beauty or interview tips that you can keep in mind, but at the end of the day, the only person that you should be striving to be like is yourself. That’s how you find your individual personality and your inner confidence, which allowed you to be the best version of yourself.

Thanks to the beautiful Robyn for the interview. Pageants News wishes you all the very best for Miss Florida pageant.